Financial assistance Debt advice Wellbeing breaks Support and information. supporting UNISON members when life gets tough

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1 Financial assistance Debt advice Wellbeing breaks Support and information supporting UNISON members when life gets tough

2 There for you There for You We recognise that UNISON members experience many pressures in their lives affecting both home and work. Fact Since we became UNISON in 1993, we have given over 10 million in financial assistance We offer a unique confidential advice and support service just for members of UNISON and their dependants. Whether it s just a chat and a sympathetic ear, advice or more concrete help you re seeking we may be able to help you. At a glance we provide: financial assistance debt advice wellbeing breaks support and information The service is provided by our experienced and professional staff. They can help you complete our application form, give information and advice or suggest another organisation that can help. Your local UNISON branch welfare officer will also be able to assist you. 2

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4 Last year, we out 3 4 millio financial help There for you Fact 4

5 How do I get help? gave n in How do I get help? 1 Phone us up For advice or information or to find out how we might be able to help just give us a call on and for immediate debt advice call Fill in a form Apply on one of our forms you can download them at unison.org.uk/thereforyou or get one from your branch your branch welfare officer will help you fill it in and talk to you about how we can help. 3 We do the rest Once we ve received your form, one of our experienced case-workers will assess your application and will let you know if we can help. You can also expect information on benefits you may be entitled to. 5

6 There for you Financial assistance A grant from us can help you rest easy again Extended illness. Family bereavement. Relationship breakdown. Life can be hard and it just gets harder when you suddenly and unexpectedly need to find somewhere else to live, to pay the costs of a funeral, or try to cope with a cut in pay when you re not feeling anywhere near your best. I never thought I would have to call on your services, but ill-health can come to anyone That s where There for You comes in. We make more than 2,000 grants to UNISON members and their families every year, often helping with household bills, essential white goods like washing machines and with special equipment and home adaptations when members or the people they care for have disabilities or special needs. At other times we help out with housing problems, and provide support where matters have become so difficult that the courts are involved. 6

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8 There for you I was no longer looking into a big dark hole on my own: I could see light at the end of the tunnel Fact Our m been to de 200 unm 8

9 Debt advice and support Debt advice and support Struggling with debt? We can help get you back on an even keel Most of us can live with a little debt much of the time. But if you or your partner find yourself out of work, earning a lot less or caring for a family member, making ends meet can suddenly become much harder. Then, if you skip meeting your rent or mortgage for a month or two, or ignore mounting bills, the situation can spiral out of control very quickly. embers have helped al with over million of anageable debt But you can get back in charge through our very own debt advice service with the help of our partner s at Payplan, one of the UK s leading debt advice help organisations who can help steer and advise you through a range of possible solutions. Payplan s advisers are also aware of the types of grants that we can provide and will refer to us if they think we can give additional help. For immediate debt advice call or visit Debtclinic, the online version of our debt advice service debtclinic.co.uk/unison 9

10 There for you We hadn t been away for years to see our children s faces all week and how happy they were was so good Fact 71% of carers say they aren t able to take at least one week of holiday or quality free time Well-being break Need a chance to get away? We all need a break sometimes to help us recover from an illness, accident or operation; to take a much-needed break from caring responsibilities; to help us get over a bereavement; or to enjoy time together as a family. For members coping on low income a break can be a lifeline, not a luxury. If you re going through a difficult period and a break seems out of reach give us a call. We offer help to get away when it matters most which can be anything from a day to a week s break. 10

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13 Support and information The caseworker worked really hard to get me the help I needed it s made all the difference Support and information Need a sympathetic ear? There for You doesn t only provide financial help our professional staff and trained branch welfare officers can offer a sympathetic ear whatever you re worried about. And with our extensive links with other charities, voluntary organisations, advice agencies and self-help groups, we can usually put you in touch with the best people to help you straight away. We pride ourselves on running a confidential service we ll only talk to people outside with your agreement. 13

14 There for you How you can help us An amazing weekend, made better by knowledge that I was making a difference Volunteering The time, energy and passion donated by our volunteers is immeasurably valuable and means that we can provide a larger number of members with a supportive and practical service when they need us most. Branch welfare officers play a critical role in promoting the service in their branches and helping members with advice and support. In return, there for you invests in our volunteers with training programmes and provides them with support from the national office. Most volunteer branch welfare officers gain considerable satisfaction from their work and some use it as a steppingstone on to a new career. F In we inc loa sho mor Fact We also have over 800 branch welfare officers co-ordinated by the regional welfare committees 14

15 How you can help us Fundraising Why we need your help act the last 10 years have seen a 64% rease in our cased and all the signs w that there is e to come Every day There for You is doing fantastic work helping members who through no fault of their own are dealing with personal crises. The support of branches and individual members just like you makes a real difference to how much we can achieve. You can help us to continue our work through: getting involved with local fundraising or taking part in our nationally organised events and activities joining Octopus lottery not only will you be making a regular donation you would be in with a chance of winning a cash prize each month you can also donate online via our website unison.org.uk/thereforyou. To find out more about volunteering opportunities or ways to donate contact

16 supporting UNISON members when life gets tough Contact us now on or visit our website unison.org.uk/thereforyou supporting UNISON members when life gets tough There for You debtline Freephone am 9pm Monday Friday 9am 3pm Saturdays or visit Debtclinic, the online version of our debt advice service debtclinic.co.uk/unison UNISON Welfare is an independent charity supported by UNISON. Registered charity number Scotland SCO38305 Published by UNISON, UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road London NW1 2AY unison.org.uk UNP11735/CU/JUNE 2011/20064/1754/10,000